"Oh, I'm sorry, I was looking for Counter-Strike"

I'd like to start by adding SOME credibility, so I don't get anyone brushing me off as "Some angry scrub". I started playing CS at a local card shop / LAN during the betas, maybe 2 hours a week, in pubs. I totally forgot about the game until 1.3, when I pubbed for about 2 hours a week at the same LAN, and finally came back in a serious way around the time Steam was released. CS was a fantastic game, and I was hooked. It quickly became my favorite, and I began working up in leagues... My current team just finished 7-1 in Open, and due to a false report that CAL never looked at, didn't make playoffs... But no one wants to hear me whine. About CAL, at least. I'll just end that with "We're going CEVO".

I know the record of 7-1, in Open nonetheless, doesn't mean much to alot of you... However, I just wanted to let you know I HAVE played the original in its earlier stages, and have partaken in league play with a decent team. I'm not trying to pass myself off as a pro, but I have a decent idea of what I'm talking about. Hopefully, you'll lend me an ear.

Despite what other reviews are telling you, this is NOT CS. This is NOT the game you loved with the upgrades you wanted. This is a totally new game that is far too buggy and random to be played at CPL. This is a game made for the "Weekend warrior", one that you can pick up and have a chance of pulling ANYTHING off. Sound exciting? Maybe. But now consider this: You've been playing for a while. You're in a pub, you put your crosshair DIRECTLY on "Player"'s head. Point blank. You fire. Nothing. He immediately 180s and one shots you, even though you could see from the direction his gun is pointing in he was no where NEAR you. He confirms it next round with a hearty "LOL DOOD I WAS LIKE 30 FEET AWAY FROM U AND I STILL PWNED U!!" It gets annoying, especially when you realize that while things like hitboxes and registration may be changed (I'll discuss that later), the randomness is SUPPOSED to be there. The skill curve is becoming less and less steep.

Alot of people will immediately say "Well, ya, but isn't that more realistic? Do pistols go perfectly straight in real life? NO. Case closed, MORON." Well, here's the thing: There is a difference between "fun" and "realistic". Can you survive a shot to the chest with an AK point blank? Even with kevlar, the answer is no. Would it be more fun if 1 bullet the chest killed you, no matter what gun it was? Certainly not. The premise of making a game LESS fun so it can be MORE realistic is just... Dumb. These are video games, not combat sims.

I'd also like to point out the movable objects recently added: Hate em. How annoying is it to be scoped in somewhere, only to back up and go FLYING out into the open because you stepped on some 2 inch can? As fun as they are to play with for the first 10 minutes, the objects soon become annoying, especially in scrims.

Recoil is easier to control. After all, the new players like it that way, and why on EARTH would you consider what the people who have been with you for years want when that kid who bought the game to quit next week would rather be able to spray without having to bother with that annoying recoil?

About the hitboxes / registration that everyone swears will be fixed: You don't pay for CS monthly. Once Valve has your money, realise it or not, they really don't give a damn about you. So what if you quit? You already paid them, and there are 10 new players who are picking it up on that same day. Think of how long the 1.6 hitboxes were buggy before they were fixed (And they're STILL not totally fixed up).

All of these are going to cause me to give Gameplay a 4/10.

Graphics: Come on, it's CS:S, and it's the graphics. The only issue I have is that the models run like they crapped their pants. Graphics are a 10/10

Sound: I DO have an issue here, although it's more of a gameplay thing: the new flashes. Other than the fact that you can no longer dodge them (Another thing good players could do removed), they make this HORRIBLE noise. I don't like the idea of not being able to hear while flashed, but it doesn't bother me that much. What I hate is that horrible nails-on-a-chalkboard-holy crap my ears are bleeding noise. I can't play for more than a half hour without getting a horrible ringing in my ears from constant flashes. It's fine other than that, but that's a HUGE issue for me. Sound dropped to an 8/10

Replayability: It's an online game. If you like it (Although it's not nearly as addicting as the real CS), you'll never get bored. 10/10

Overall: Everything is good except the flash noise in those 3, but I'm not averaging this because what really matters is gameplay. This is dragged all the way down to a 4 because nothing can save the boredom this will drop on you. You just don't feel the motivation to get better you used to feel. CS:S just plain isn't fun.

Overall: 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/05